LG Dare VX-9700
Phone Scoop Review
Jul 10, 2008 by Eric M. Zeman
LG's Dare is its best touch-screen phone yet, but it's not perfect. See what shines, and what fizzles. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
LG does it again!
I've owned a lot of cell phones in my day and I have to say LG has almost always been the best! The vx9700 (Dare) is no exception. For anyone who's ever played around with an iPhone, it's really difficult to try and compare anything else to it for the simple fact that the iPhone was designed to be a whole lot more than a phone. However, the Dare is a "near" comparable alternative! My first impressions were average for the simple fact that this phone is very light-weight (on the assumption that light = poor quality and heavy = expensive). The touch screen DOES require a bit of patience to get used to as it is extremely sensitive. When they say you don't have to press hard, they mean it!!! The report of the screen being unresponsive most certainly was from a faulty product and not the intended quality. Although not perfect, this phone is definitely worth the upgrade!
Pros:
-fast, clear, and brilliant display
-excellent sound quality and signal strength
-few shell parts to get rub wear over time
-3.2mp camera with longer video (per card)
-very light, barely even know it's in your pocket
Cons: (aka personal opinions) :)
The microSD cover feels a bit flimsy.
Key-Lock is nice but to "secure lock" your phone you have to go through the menu.
Only 2 themes (black and white).
Fonts seem a bit too large for my taste.
Web browser and Music player are still not what the people want. They say it has a "full" browser... what they mean is a full custom verizon web browser. :) LG should start releasing phones with Firefox!!!
Overall it's an excellent phone! However, I hear (from a friend working at a local Verizon store) that Verizon will be announcing 3 new phones in 4 months that will far surpass the Dare. So it's up to you. :P
great phone
the dare is great and i signed up for Verizon just to have this device, so far 5 days of use i have only charged the battery once which i must say it has great battery life i use it a lot
pros
-battery life
-camera
-call quality
-favorite friends contact list
-best touch screen in terms of response
-phones fast doesn't have the lag of the samsung instinct or any windows mobile phones
not many cons but
-phone has restarted on me a couple of times with for no reason
- the phone only came with charger i was unimpressed when i opened the box, my girl friend got the samsung instinct three days before me, she got a case, an extra battery and a standalone battery charger(kind of cool), she also got head phones, and a separate usb cord for her computer, all of that is what comes in the box not a dealer give away
mine came with a charger, that doubles as your usb cable, i mean this phone being high end from some of the other models, doesn't feel that way when you open the box vs the competitors
over all its good i just didn't feel as if i was buying a more expensive phone with so little equipment provided
I'm impressed
This is a great phone to have and I was throughly impressed upon taking it home. I know there are a few people who are a little apprehensive towards the idea of buying a full touch screen phone. In the beginning I was a bit fearful, but this phone "Dares" to be better than the current touch phones on the market. I have used the IPhone and I find similar qualities that made the IPhone very successful.
Pros:
Easy to use
Fully functional & accurate touch screen
Exceptional call quality
Improved Signal Strength
Customizable Menus
2.0 Bluetooth Capabilities
New User Interface (not the standard VZW UI)
Sleek Design
3.2 MP Camera
1hr. long video recording capabilities
Cons:
Music Player Interface looks good, but its functionality can be better
I will not go so far as to say that this is the IPhone killer; however, I must say that LG is doing a good job at challenging Apple. Verizon needs to advertise this phone a whole lot more, it came out on Thursday and it is not on the front page of the website. Apple hyped the IPhone so much that it was ingrained into American society before it was released, the Dare has not gained that much publicity and it should. Oh well, needless to say this is a great phone to have. If you do not have it you are missing out on a treat. Happy 4th to everyone.
Bravo finally Verizon!
well i have had this for several days now, my other phone is a voyager. i adore my voyager, but it's new offspring is amazing. yes it is similar, yet different. the camera is better, the user interface is better because verizon finally decided to leave partial hand's off. i was disappointed that it could not be a tad thinner, but i am not complaining. baby steps i say. i can only imagine 5 years from now what we will see on the marketplace. i compared it to an iphone this weekend, and they were very close. the iphone is heavy, something almost too heavy if you place it in a shirt pocket. if you want a nice leather pouch, the ipod touch is the exact same size. try the sena italian leather pouch, perfect fit. anyway, back to the phone. the touch is responsive, just as like the voyager. again, good choice verizon.
Absolutely the BEST PHONE I have ever owned!!!
Ok so I have had the phone for about a week now. I have sold cell-phones for over 5 years so let's just say I know a good phone from a bad phone. At first when I got it I was a bit nervous because I had the chocolate so I hoped LG learned their lesson in touchscreen technology. Wile there is a short learning curve with this phone it is TOTALLY worth it!
Pros:
the screen is huge!
Internet is only $15 instead of $50
Functionality is quite simple and easily accesible.
Bluetooth headset (Jabra jx10) sounds crystal
clear with absolutely NO ECHO (for all of you out there that have had other LG phones you know what I'm talking about)
Battery life is INCREDIBLE (I took it on a trip to NC this weekend played with it constantly yesterday didn't charge it yet have been playing with it at work today left the bluetooth connected this whole time and it's still only down one bar.)
one touch keypad lock.
phenomenal camera!
soooo many ways to customize the "desktop"
Cons: (there are very few)
Ok so I am slightly obsesive compulsive when it comes to fingerprints on the screen and this phone is definately a fingerprint magnet but what do you expect it's a touchscreen.
qwerty touchpad could have been a tiny bit bigger.
There is no way to highlight and clear a whole portion of text.
There is no "back arrow" key.
The internet browser is a bit small and you have to be very precise to click on a link
And probably my only "REAL" complaint is that there is nowhere to store a physical address in the contacts. You have a place to store 2 mobile numbers, 2 e-mail addresses, Home number, fax number, pet names etc but no freaking physical address field! Ok so maybe I'm taking it too seriously :-)
Take The Dare.
So here's the deal, before I give you my review, I'll give you my credentials. I'm 21, I've been with Verizon since they were Ameritech (acquired the contract from my mom), and I'm a tech freak! With this being said, I hope the my opinions of this phone will be more trustable to the avergage user who isn't so tech savvy as I am.
I've come from a Motorola V200 to an LG VX-4400, to an LG VX-8000,LG V,LG en-V,LG Voyager, and now the LG Dare. As You can see, I love LG's. So here we go:
Pros:
1.) The phone was created by LG, which is a company I believe makes the most innovative and durable phone which still feature style and elegance. (Motorola sucks)
2.) The 3.2 megapixel camera, in my opinion, takes better pictures than some 7.0 megapixel digital cameras I've used.
3.) The flash can be used during video recording
4.) The UI is great with the customization, good job Verizon, its about time.
5.) The proximity and light sensors really do help battery life
6.) The phone is thin, feels really great in your hand, and is a generous size for most people's eyes.
7.) The music player loads much quicker than previous LG's and allows you to do other activities while listening to music.
8.) The rotation features for the keyboard, internet, and music player gives it that one iPhone feature everyone loves.
9.) The photo editing software is great and taking pics is fun.
10.) Just an all around fun and sleek phone to toy with or show off to people.
11.) Internet is exceptionally fast for a phone
Cons:
1.) High speed camera sucks, the picture appears to be exceedingly dark when indoors with or without flash being on.
2.) Bitpim is locked out, although there is a way around that, but its a pain to back up files and put your own ringtones on until you learn what to do.
3.) Screen is a finger print magnet even with screen protector
4.) Touch can be a bit irritating on the internet because it is not enough sensitivity
5.) Music player play track alphabetically
Love it.
PROs
Touch screen works WELL. I used this daily without use of a stylus and have few issues, and my thumbs are big.. so I'm impressed. Yes, it does work BETTER with a stylus however this is not a requirement to use it.
Battery life is great, average three days of normal usage without recharge. Excessive use of online, camera or music use will shorten the life but it still does well. Had it on Navigator for an 9-1/2 hour trip and it died as I was unpacking.. try that with most others.
Voice quality is great.. haven't tried bluetooth yet so I can't say much about that.
Music player, pictures, videos all work well. I took a video of a 40 minute long race (at the local track) on top quality and it didn't shudder, it would not have fit on the internal memory but worked fine on the SD card.
No corrupted files transferring from SD to Phone, or vice versa.
What other phone can you use TAP, QWERTY, and Palm-like 'writing/graffiti' for texting?
STOUT.. I've used it daily for a month in an automotive shop, working on and around cars, dirt, dust, grease.. no issues.
Internet and navigator work well, screen transitions from upright to sideways work well, very occasionally it 'sticks' but a tap of the screen and no worries.
CONS
Does not have a place to store a stylus for those who prefer total accuracy.
Picks up fingerprints like a MOTHER.. however working in an automotive shop it's not as bad as I was afraid it would be.
Because I had concerns about the screen's durability I did go to the mall and invest in a protective covering for the phone, can't recall the name, but it's a permanent clear cover (similar to the old cheap 'screen protectors' but much better, and covers most-all of the phone.) Prior to putting the covering on I did not have ANY issues with scratches on the screen or any other part of the phone.
Music player could be louder.
--
I'd buy one again in a heartbeat. My wife wants one and may buy one retail because it's so cool.
best phone from verizon
Best phone from verizon.
Pros:
+ Size
+ sleek design
+ easy user interface
+ awesome camera
+ fun and easy texting with either full qwerty or T9(comes in handy when you're trying to text with one hand)
+ very nice loud speaker
+ good responsive touch screen
+ fast internet
+ great service
+ awesome alarm clock
Cons:
- lack of accessories available
- expensive to have all the features(gps, internet,games)
- sometimes the screen will not respond, but nowhere near to make the phone annoying or unpleasant. happens very rarely
- transferring music is a pain
- WEAK vibrate!
overall:
awesome phone offered by verizon. definitely not an iphone competitor but it is a great device that offers all the features you'll ever want in a phone with the option not to pay for them if you dont use them.
i would recommend this phone to anyone, even if you're skeptical of a full touch screen phone. There is a quick learning curve and you will end up loving the qwerty and customizable features.
GREAT JOB LG BEST PHONE EVER
this phone is a nice new version of at&t's iphone. overall i love everything about the phone.
heres a list of pros and cons.
pros:
1. touch screen is a great feature
2. nice and small, fits into your pocket
3. great look.
4. many features.
5. Internet browser is nice.
6. 3.2 megapixel camera.
7. virtual keyboard is very easy to use
8. battery life is great
cons:
1. attracts finger and face oils
i would definitely recommend this phone to anyone who wants a touchscreen with a bunch of features
Overall I am impressed
Ok, This is my take on the Dare.
First, I have to say, I have used many, MANY phones on Verizon. Each one is a hair better than the last (usually). This time, with the Dare, Verizon made a rather large jump. It worked out.
Pros:
Camera
Sound Quality (across the board)
HTML Browser (1)
Awesome and responsive touch screen (2)
Easy to text
Great UI and customization
Signal pull is great
Battery life
3.5mm jack!!
Music player worke when you do anything. It even pauses a song if you start a youtube video, and resumes after the video is done.
Cons:
Camera Settings reset when the camera turns off
There IS a learning curve
Oil prone screen (fingerprints)
3.5mm jack cover will end up lost (not yet, but I know it will)
(1) I know some people have issue with the browser. Well, the HTML browser for non-smartphones hasn't been out long and from where my last phone left me (WAP), I only have good things to say, and I know it will get better.
(2) The touch screen worried me at first. But I calibrated it with a stylus per people's advice and I adapted very well to it.
Overall, I know the small issues I have had so far will be easy for me to get past. Most importantly, I like the phone, it fits my pocket, and my needs. Texting has been great so far. I never had a QWERTY phone, and have been learning to love it on the touch screen.
